The invention relates to a bipolar radio-frequency surgical instrument.
Such bipolar radio-frequency surgical instruments normally have a rigid shaft on whose distal end a neutral electrode, cutting electrode and/or coagulating electrode which is insulated relative to the neutral electrode are provided. A problem during the handling of such instruments lies in the fact that the operator can view the cutting process or coagulating process only with difficulty, particularly when the instrument is guided to the site of the operation together with a viewing endoscope through a trocar. The viewing direction of the operator is then approximately the same as the direction of the axis of the tube shaft of the surgical instrument, so that the position where the cutting electrode or coagulating electrode comes into contact with the tissue which is to be treated can only be viewed with difficulty or not at all.
For this reason, the cutting wire at the distal end of the working tip has in the past been bent far enough to the side so that it projects somewhat over the outer perimeter of the tube shaft and thus becomes viewable when the operator looks in approximately the axial direction. This arrangement however has the disadvantage that the insertion of the instrument into the trocar and the guiding to the site of the operation is made more difficult by the laterally projecting cutting electrode, and thus that the sensitive cutting electrode can be damaged therein.
A corresponding arrangement of a coagulating electrode pair has not become known hitherto.